Big Brands at the Grocery Store a Century Ago 1925
Today we take a stroll through a grocery or drug store in 1925, to see which brands and companies were strongest a century ago. Some companies and brands lasted through today, many did not! What were great-great-great grandpa and grandma’s favorite products,...
Retailing Trends 1992 through 2020
The $6.3 trillion US retailing industry has evolved continuously since the end of the Civil War, when the first chain grocery stores and first department stores began to develop. This chart, based on data from the US Census, shows how the different types of...1979 Department Store Database
Click here to download the excel file.
Our Friend the Grocery Store: 40 Years of Change
In these difficult times, few companies are doing more for us than our food retailers. From aggressive steps by the largest food retailer in the world, Walmart, to advance planning by regional firms such as HEB in Texas, the nation’s grocers are continuing to...
The Data-Driven Visionary
In 1941, Fred Lazarus, Jr., had some time to kill in Houston. He had come to visit his son Ralph who was serving in the Army at nearby Ellington Field. Twelve years earlier, Lazarus and his family had united their family-owned Lazarus department...Largest American discount store chains 1968
Here is a list of the largest US discount store chains in 1968. Note that K Mart, Target, and Walmart were all founded in 1962, six years earlier. However, Walmart was not nearly big enough to make this list! Source: Discount Merchandiser Magazine, June 1969...Retail Industry History Data
Here are the data slides from our video on the history of this industry. Retail History Data (PDF)Largest American Retailers 1929-2015
This spreadsheet contains extensive data on the largest US publicly-held retailers in 1929, 1955, 1985, and 2015. Source: Compiled by Gary Hoover from Fortune magazine lists of the biggest retailers in 1955, 1985, and 2015, and from the 1930 Moody’s Industrial Manual....
Support Us
Your donations help us show the importance of learning from the past.
